Tobacco on Trial - A BBC Radio Series - Latin America/Carribean

A wide Spanish American audience was reached by 87 local radio stations which rebroadcast BBC's Tobacco on Trial series. The 8 x 15 minute programmes reflected the many attitudes to smoking through interviews conducted in Argentina, Cuba and Mexico. The series was to be reformatted into a mini-series of 10 x 5 minute packages for broadcast on the daily features programme Via Libre. There was also an Online component where people could participate in a debate and hear the programmes or read summaries of the broadcasts. A specially designed website accompanied the radio series providing health information, background data, a People's Poll and an interactive debate on the pros and cons of smoking.

Tobacco, Health, Youth, Economic Development

Producer Emilio San Pedro visited Argentina, Cuba and Mexico recording the views of smokers, non-smokers, passive smokers and tobacco growers. Young break dancers interviewed in Buenos Aires were familiar with the health hazards of smoking, but had no intention of giving up the habit. One taxi driver in Mexico City admitted to smoking even when there was a fare in the car. The glamorization of tobacco by advertising and the film industry is a concern to anti-smoking groups and the need for "equally sophisticated advertising methods" to fight tobacco use was recognized. Programme 4 discussed Argentina's economic dependance on the tobacco economy and how a World Bank representative disagreed with the statement, making the point that "tobacco is not as economically sound as the growers claim". Another programme aired from a famous cigar factory in Havana and spoke to employees who admitted to being addicted to tobacco. The realities of tobacco use were illustrated by interviews with support group members who had their larynx removed due to smoking related throat cancers. Argentina's health minister discussed the costs incurred to the health care system through tobacco related illness. The series concluded with a debate between the head of one of Latin America's most important anti-tobacco lobby groups and with a British American Tobacco (BAT) spokesperson in Chile.